Let’s talk about stealth for a second. While I don’t doubt that readers whose primary choice in books falls under the heading of literary fiction are more open to excursions into genre than they were in the past, it’s interesting to find science fictional concepts flying under the radar. I’m not talking about works from writers who got their start on the genre side of things (Jonathan Lethem, Karen Joy Fowler) or writers who’ve used science fictional devices to further explore their preferred themes (Margaret Atwood, Michael Chabon.) It’s in subtler ways: the use of what is, at its core, a science fictional concept to explore Big Issues in an otherwise realistic novel.

“What I am sure of is this: Most readers hearing the news will not assume it was a deadlock. They’ll just figure it was a bum year for fiction. As a novelist and the author of an eligible book, I do not love this. It’s fine to lose to someone, and galling to lose to no one.” Ann Patchett on the lack of a Pulitzer for fiction this year.

“As a member of the generation that learned everything we know from that show, my interest in The Simpsons-approved Poe eventually led me to experiment with Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Villon, and a bunch of other scumbags who tried to sweet-talk their way to easy street.” – Erik Bryan talks about Edgar Allan Poe’s cottage for The Morning News.